[Legend] A New Dark (IC)

[Anyr]

"Yes: A glowing reason inside your chest. Until we know the villagers' position on liches, I'd recommend giving them a wide berth."

[Snowbluff]

Alatrea subconsciously covers the phylactery with one of her hands while trying to ignore the voices in her head.

[Extra Anchovies]

"It's going to take more than a hand to conceal that... whatever it is. But there's probably some way to assemble a proper disguise."

She looks undead, so it's probably a power source of some kind. Would be rude to ask, though.

[Netbattler11]

"Actually, Alatrea, I've been quite curious as to the nature of the glowing object in your chest. It looks somewhat similar to some tenebrium samples I've seen. Would you mind expounding on what it is and what it does? Have you attempted to find an effective way to hide it, or are you simply accustomed to wearing it openly?"

[Snowbluff]

"It's... important." Alatrea looks away bashfully.

[Netbattler11]

"I... see." Thirteen looks nonplussed.

Of course it is important. No one else here is glowing! Why is she unwilling to share information with us? Especially if it is 'important'! We need to work together if we are going to have any chance of surviving! Does she not realize that the Starborn are out there at this very moment with a single mission: To destroy us!? That is a completely illogical response!

He hurriedly casts around for another topic of conversation and turns to Nigel.

"Ah... Nigel, was it? I do not believe I have met a cat endowed with the power of speech until now. How did such a thing come to pass?"

[Oberon Kenobi]

As Ataktey offers his hand, Nigel leans forward, giving it a perfunctory sniff before lowering his head and letting the big claw scratch him behind the ears. After a moment of this, he pads ahead on the railing, taking up a sitting position as the others pause on the steps.

He decides to keep quiet a moment and listen to their plan making. 'Always know your crew; know who's good for thinking, who's good for scrapping, and who's good for skulking.'

That was a piece of advice Old Mother Jackie definitely had said... and it seemed like they had more than one thinker on hand. Gathering intel instead of going in blind, knowing to keep out of sight so they wouldn't turn any heads until they wanted to. And lastly, quite rightly, Cheng's suggestion they they find a way to keep in contact.

...Which, executed without preamble, causes Nigel to jolt at the sudden voice in his mind, nearly falling off his perch.

He lets out an irritated meow. "Give a tom some warning next time, will ya..." he mutters, grooming his ruffled fur and recovering his dignity.

Questions about Alatrea's... condition move through the air around him. Girl didn't want to talk about the shiny lump of magic in her chest, fine. Undead had more painful secrets than anybody, no surprise she was the same. And so long as it didn't get in the way of the job, that was fine by Nigel. They'd all need to let their closet skeletons out for a good old meet and greet eventually, but for this first run, it was a bit daft to expect a body to spill their life story for people they'd just met.

So it's fairly comic when Thirteen cuts the conversation short by asking Nigel to do the same, prompting him to look up from his grooming, his eyes narrowed with mirth.

He lies down on the railing, tail curling about him as he directs his thoughts towards Thirteen. "Artful subject change."

"Since you asked, I wasn't endowed with speech; I was born with it." His tail unfurls and swishes across the railing. "My great-to-the-somethingth grandparents were human. Ran afoul of some greedy steel and hale hexes, and found themselves with four legs and whiskers by the end of it. Every tom and molly since as can trace their roots back to them has had brains to match. Give or take the usual span of brilliance and stupidity."

He stands up and stretches, working his claws in and out of the wood of the railing. "As for gathering information on the village, I think I should go with Alatrea and Ataktey. Until we're in their good graces, my eyes and ears will be of more use than my tongue, however silver it might be."

Spoiler: OOC

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Nigel has never had much if any truck with telepathy, and is therefore unaware that his one-way psychic whisper was actually heard by everyone.

[Netbattler11]

Thirteen is deeply interested in this piece of information.

"A descendant of a human reincarnated into an animal? That's not something I've even heard of before. And you say ALL of their descendants have human intelligence? That shouldn't even be possible... Unless... Perhaps... But then..."

He trails off, muttering to himself about magical laws and theorems.

[Oberon Kenobi]

Heh, like a kitten with a piece of string, Nigel observes as Thirteen descends into academic ramblings. Guess he wasn't kidding with that 'student' line.

Nothing wrong with that, though. An obsessive mind could get a lot done–so long as they kept themselves pointed in the right direction. Speaking of which...

"Not that this bit of banter isn't illuminating, but wasn't the plan to talk on the way?" His ear flicks at a passing bit of dust. "We seem to have stalled in transit. Probably best if we get ourselves on over to the carriage or airship or whatever it is we're going to be taking to Avancar."

[Snowbluff]

"Yes, we should make haste. Hopefully we'll be able to gain ground on the Starborn." Now that the attention had shifted away from her, Alatrea seems stand a little taller.

[Netbattler11]

The mention of the Starborn snaps Thirteen out of his reverie.

"What? Oh, ah... Yes, we should make haste to our objective. I did not mean to stall our progress. It is decided, then, that myself, Nariya, and Cheng shall go into the village to question people there, and Alatrea, Ataktey, and Nigel will investigate the outlying areas?"

[sakuuya]

"Oh, right, of course," Ataktey says aloud. "Does anyone have anything they need to get done before we leave, or can we go right away? I'm fine, um, but if anyone else needs anything..." He might be stalling a little.

[Anyr]

"We've waited too long already. By all means, let's depart!"

The eager grin that Nariya wore was unambiguous. After all these years, the time had finally come. She was ready.

[Mcdt2]

The journey to Avancar is fairly is rather uneventful, save for your conversations. The route is through a number of thick forests and somewhat roguh terrain, best navigated by foot. It takes a few days to reach it, and you arrive at midday on Wednesday June 25th.

Spoiler: On the Calender of Ashfar (OOC)

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I realize I never established anything about the time frame of the first meeting. For simplicity's sake, Ashfar shall use our Earthly calender. Call it Translation Convention (warning: TVTropes link. TVTropes has been known to ruin lives and suck away free time like a black hole. Proceed with caution).

Somewhat arbitrarily, I placed the first meeting on June 21, the summer solstice. The starsign of this month is the Rose, representing beauty and treachery.

Avancar is a fairly large village, nestled between the woods of Whitetail Forest and the river Avan. Its roughly 5000 citizens are primarily farmers, hunters, and fishermen, producing far more food and other goods than such a community could consume on its own, especially when the fields and forests are so bountiful. Often called the "Breadbasket of Qual", it is responsible for feeding almost twenty thousand souls in the surrounding area. Most of the buildings are built from the abundant sources of wood, never being more than two stories tall at the most. A notable exception are the two churches, built from quarried stone, visible even from the distant hill upon which you stand. One, the larger and older, features a large stone circle dedicated to now-forgotten gods of elves. The other is the modest but well-built church of the Shining Truth, where the people pay worship to the Eternal Sun herself.

[Netbattler11]

Thirteen scowls down at the newer church.

"Murasaki." The word is filled with the utmost contempt. "That usurper is the worst thing to happen to this world in millennia. Her empire is built on lies and tyranny. It stifles progress and crushes any hint of diversity. I've read some of the accounts from the last equinox. She nearly doomed the universe to destruction on multiple occasions. If the Lord Akai'Zhar had not been there to correct her follies, I doubt any of us would even exist. She must be overthrown so that the world can be returned to balance."

He takes a deep breath and turns back to his companions.

"But none of that is important right now. Our current mission is to help these villagers. Let's gather as much information as we can and meet back here at dusk."

[Snowbluff]

"Alright, I'll investigate heron, on the outskirts," Alatrea says. She never really did have an opinion on Murasaki, because she never paid much attention to her policy.

[Mcdt2]

Alatrea sets off, exploring the outskirts. It is not long before she encounters a hunter, a tall man fair in skin with long gray hair and large brown eyes. He carries a throwing axe in his hand, with several more strapped to his sides. When he spies the lich, he jumps slightly in surprise, but nonetheless quickly takes up a cautious stance.

"Apologies, traveler. But these woods are dangerous, and we have reason to be wary of outsiders like yourself, especially when they have such... peculiar features." His eyes flick briefly to her chest.

"What brings you here? Do you come with foul intent, or are you another one of those useless healers who thinks she can cure this festering curse as though it were a mere sickness of the flesh?"

[Snowbluff]

"I definitely am interested in curses, especially the festering kind,'' Alatrea says, struggling to avoid a snarkier comment.

[Anyr]

Nariya sympathised with Thirteen's anger. Though she considered herself a flexible person, she couldn't see herself ever siding with the Starborn. They needed to be stopped. Nariya waited until her comrade had had a chance to calm down. This accomplished, she began walking towards the village.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Our final reckoning with the Starborn lies far in the future. Here and now, we have a village to save. Be on your best behaviour, everyone. First impressions are important!"

As she walked, Nariya did a quick check of her appearance. Most farmers she'd met weren't impressed by fancy robes and grand titles. With this in mind, she'd chosen a relatively plain and modest look. No jewellery, no makeup, no perfectly styled hair. Her outfit was just a basic {shirt and trousers/blouse and skirt/dress}. She wanted to come across as a concerned traveller offering assistance: Rather than one of those fancy-shmancy adventurers who swanned into villages like they owned the place. It was all about presentation.

[Mcdt2]

"I definitely am interested in curses, especially the festering kind,'' Alatrea says, struggling to avoid a snarkier comment.

"...Hmmph. Suppose it wouldn't do any harm to let you try, so long as the Father keeps an eye on you. We've had a few of our hunters go missing, or show up injured. Not unusual, of course, between weather and the wolves. Stars, I'm out here looking for my brother myself. He's got a good head on his shoulders, so I'm not too worried, but... "

He sighs.

"Anyway, for some reason, none of the injured have been healing too well, lately. They get this black pus oozing from the wounds. The healers clean it out best they can, but it's stopping them from closing themselves up. The Father's prayers aren't seeming to help much neither, and everything brought in by travelers ain't worked. If you're looking to try your remedies yourself, try heading down to the church. The proper one, not that old faery circle."

---

Nariya sympathised with Thirteen's anger. Though she considered herself a flexible person, she couldn't see herself ever siding with the Starborn. They needed to be stopped. Nariya waited until her comrade had had a chance to calm down. This accomplished, she began walking towards the village.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Our final reckoning with the Starborn lies far in the future. Here and now, we have a village to save. Be on your best behaviour, everyone. First impressions are important!"

As she walked, Nariya did a quick check of her appearance. Most farmers she'd met weren't impressed by fancy robes and grand titles. With this in mind, she'd chosen a relatively plain and modest look. No jewellery, no makeup, no perfectly styled hair. Her outfit was just a basic {shirt and trousers/blouse and skirt/dress}. She wanted to come across as a concerned traveller offering assistance: Rather than one of those fancy-shmancy adventurers who swanned into villages like they owned the place. It was all about presentation.

As Nariya had hoped, her guise draws little attention, beyond a few curious glances. From within town, you can clearly see the looks of worry and grim determination on peoples' faces, the expressions of those who know bad times are coming and are willing to weather the storm. They gather in small clusters through the town, around scattered stores and market stands. A rather large group is congregated in the town square, where an elderly priest preaches to his flock.

"...and may Her Brilliant Glory shine a path through this time of darkness, leading us to our True Destiny. May we have the Wisdom to understand the path She blazes, the Courage to walk upon it, and the Strength to weather its toils."

As the priest ends his recitation, the crowd slowly disperses, many muttering additional prayers under their breath or clutching at crudely made amulets depicting the sun crossed by a blade and ringed by a crown - the holy symbol of the Shining Truth.

[Snowbluff]

"...Hmmph. Suppose it wouldn't do any harm to let you try, so long as the Father keeps an eye on you. We've had a few of our hunters go missing, or show up injured. Not unusual, of course, between weather and the wolves. Stars, I'm out here looking for my brother myself. He's got a good head on his shoulders, so I'm not too worried, but... "

He sighs.

"Anyway, for some reason, none of the injured have been healing too well, lately. They get this black pus oozing from the wounds. The healers clean it out best they can, but it's stopping them from closing themselves up. The Father's prayers aren't seeming to help much neither, and everything brought in by travelers ain't worked. If you're looking to try your remedies yourself, try heading down to the church. The proper one, not that old faery circle."

---

"A faery circle?" Alatrea asks. She's weighing the idea of going to the church herself, but she's avoiding the city center. The others will probably run into the other injure. Besides, being one of the Host probably means avoiding anything to do with Murasaki.

[Netbattler11]

Thirteen ventures into the town, keeping an eye out for anything unusual. He doesn't approach anyone, but simply watches.

[Mcdt2]

"A faery circle?" Alatrea asks.

"Aye. That massive stone circle, down there. They say it was built by the elves, when they came here. Has stood for nearly two thousand years, if you believe that. Most of the temples to the old gods were torn down when the Empress united the land. Apparently, she forbid stone circles from being touched by any but the Stars themselves. And so they stand, though I still don't trust them. I swear, I see... things, moving around it at night. Inhuman things."

---

Thirteen ventures into the town, keeping an eye out for anything unusual. He doesn't approach anyone, but simply watches.

Thirteen sees much the same as Nariya does. It strikes him as odd, however, that the faithful have gathered in the middle of town instead of their elaborate church. He also notes that the looks of worry on people's faces is most noticeable on the faces of hunters and their families; the fishermen and farmers seem less impacted by whatever has recently occurred.

[Snowbluff]

[COLOR=#008000]"Aye. That massive stone circle, down there. They say it was built by the elves, when they came here. Has stood for nearly two thousand years, if you believe that. Most of the temples to the old gods were torn down when the Empress united the land. Apparently, she forbid stone circles from being touched by any but the Stars themselves. And so they stand, though I still don't trust them. I swear, I see... things, moving around it at night. Inhuman things."

"That certainly is interesting. It may have something to with the problem you are having. Iconoclasm should probably be handled a little more delicately than that." Alatrea takes a look in the direction of the circle. "A strong, handsome man like yourself wouldn't mind keeping a little unsanctioned interference for your sake, would he?" Alatrea pulls her arms behind her, and smiles gently.

Spoiler: OoC

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Shmaltz based Diplomacy (1d20+1)[2]

EDIT: A natural one. Sweet mother of an Atropal. Hopefully he was already friendly.

[Netbattler11]

Thirteen sees much the same as Nariya does. It strikes him as odd, however, that the faithful have gathered in the middle of town instead of their elaborate church. He also notes that the looks of worry on people's faces is most noticeable on the faces of hunters and their families; the fishermen and farmers seem less impacted by whatever has recently occurred.

As the gathering disperses, Thirteen hails one of the villagers.

"Excuse me, could you spare a moment? I've only just arrived in town. Would you mind telling me what's going on?"

Spoiler

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Diplomacy: (1d20)[9]

[Oberon Kenobi]

Nigel tilts his head slightly at Thirteen's remarks on Murasaki. When it came to history, his education had been minimal, and mostly confined to matters that had directly affected the Lankins–so all that talk about Murasaki almost dooming the universe a thousand years ago and being some tyrannical supervillain was a little outside his backyard.

Regardless of what she might've done before any of them had been born, though, thieves' wisdom said to respect your elders and shy away from rocking the boat–especially if the boat in question was a palatial flying battleship captain'd by the most powerful being on the planet. And overthrowing a religious icon who was also the ruler of one of the most expansive nations on the planet at the same time as they were trying to build up this 'newly reformed peaceful benefactor' image? Didn't take an oracle's vision to see how that one would turn out.

He holds his tongue and turns away, gazing out across the landscape. Certain... details aside, Nariya was right; they needed to focus on the task at hand before worrying about the inevitable crossing of paths with Murasaki. It was like Old Mother Jackie said; 'never expect your crew to be at their best–but don't go bringing out their worst if you don't have to. Especially before you've earned their trust.'

"All right, we all know the plan–such as it is. Remember, use Cheng's shadow network to keep everyone updated on anything you find. Sharing that info might or might not make the difference between life and death–but it'll definitely save time and be more efficient if we're not all covering the same ground."

He shoots an appraising glance at Alatrea, hoping that the appeal to her bureaucratic sensibilities will help her get over her dislike of the telepathy's invasiveness.

"Ataktey," he adds, turning to the young wendigo. "Would you accompany me? I'd like to get the lay of the land, and see if there's any general magical weirdness in the outskirts, and it would be a real boon to have someone along who knows what is and isn't normal for this neck of the woods."

[Mcdt2]

"That certainly is interesting. It may have something to with the problem you are having. Iconoclasm should probably be handled a little more delicately than that." Alatrea takes a look in the direction of the circle. "A strong, handsome man like yourself wouldn't mind keeping a little unsanctioned interference for your sake, would he?" Alatrea pulls her arms behind her, and smiles gently.

Spoiler: OoC

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Shmaltz based Diplomacy [roll0]

EDIT: A natural one. Sweet mother of an Atropal. Hopefully he was already friendly.

He recoils, possibly in disgust.

"I haven't the faintest idea of what you're implying, girl, but I'll have nothing to do with it."

He walks back into the woods, paying you no more attention.

As the gathering disperses, Thirteen hails one of the villagers.

"Excuse me, could you spare a moment? I've only just arrived in town. Would you mind telling me what's going on?"

Spoiler

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Diplomacy: [roll0]

"Just our midday prayers, traveler. We'd normally hold them in the church, of course, but it's all full up. Awful lot of wounded and sick this season. Our best healers have been trying, bless them, but nothing seems to help. Do be careful, my friend, and may Her Radiant Majesty watch over you."

[Snowbluff]

He recoils, possibly in disgust.

"I haven't the faintest idea of what you're implying, girl, but I'll have nothing to do with it."

He walks back into the woods, paying you no more attention.

"Well, I guess he's just not into dead girls." Alatrea sighs and put her hands into her pockets, hoping that she could blame that on her condition or the man's superstitions. She heads in the direction of the fairy circle.

[Anyr]

Nariya arched an eyebrow. Slowly, an understanding smile spread across her face.

"I see. So that's why we were sent here. The Starborn hold great sway in this place; And yet they are apparently powerless to help. We've been given a chance to succeed where they failed.

Come, let's have a word with the local healers..."

She then set off to do exactly that.

[Netbattler11]

"Just our midday prayers, traveler. We'd normally hold them in the church, of course, but it's all full up. Awful lot of wounded and sick this season. Our best healers have been trying, bless them, but nothing seems to help. Do be careful, my friend, and may Her Radiant Majesty watch over you."

"I see. Thank you for your assistance."

After bidding the woman farewell, Thirteen ducks into a quiet corner and leans against a wall. He closes his eyes and concentrates on his companions.

"The village appears to be suffering from an unusual amount of illness and injury. The people appear to be faithful to Her Incredible Shininess. The local healers are apparently powerless to help the stricken. I believe that Nariya is correct. We must show these people that the shadows have power where the light does not."

He opens his eyes and navigates towards the Church of the Shining Truth.